I own a 1995 E420, W124. It's a great car, and I find the quality of the iterior and exterior to be great. That said - I would like a bit more shoulder room (I'm 6' 4" with wide shoulders) - but then again I'm a goon.

Expect to pay a bit more for the 1997 E420. From what I've read there's more interior things that go wrong on the W210 - like loose seat rails that cause seats to wobble. On the other had - you get a much better transmission and gearing in the W210. 5 speed vs. the W124 4-speed, and a better rear-end ratio (the W124 is 2.24 - about the tallest gearing you'll find in a production car). However - if the 1997 transmission has problems - expect to pay big $.

The 1997 should definitely be quicker. But that's relative - my 1995 has plenty of power when I need it.

The 1995 was the last year of a 10 year production run on the W124. Most of the model's problems had been fixed by this time - and this was a key factor in my decision to buy a W124 vs. a W210. I only buy used cars - and do a lot of research to find cars with a minimum of known problem areas. My last 2 cars were BMWs - a 1988 735i 5-speed and a 1986 635csi 5-speed. The engine in those cars - like the M119, was bulletproof and a blast to drive. I like not having to get valve adjustments every 15k in the Benz - this was always a pain on the BMWs.